In Hindsight (I Was Right)
by Goku and Chichi Luverr
Summary: After a fight with Midoriya, Katsuki is looking for a fight and jumps at the chance to go on a very dangerous undercover operation. Alone. Should he have? The knife in his thigh convinces him he probably should not have. But, here we are anyways.


Ohhhh, wow-  
To be honest, I didn't think I was ever going to post on this account here again, but here we are. I don't even have excuses as to why I haven't updated my other works, so I won't even try, but if you're still subscribed to any of my In Progress works on FFN, just know that I am planning to HEAVILY edit my works and re-upload them on AO3. I've already put a few of my older works there, along with quite a few of my newer works. Don't worry! I will still update them on FFN as well, because so many of you have been waiting forever for updates.

I can't promise an kind of time line for them, however. I'll need to edit a lot (like, a lot, Jesus I was cringe-y) and since I'm a mom/wife now, it's tougher for me to get updates or new works out on a strict schedule. I apologize for all the trouble, and this super lengthy A/N, but for those of you who have waited this long without hearing anything from me: Thank you for believing I would come back. Your messages, reviews, and unwavering belief that one day I would finish those stories kept me going.  
Thank you.

And to anyone new reading this, hello! I'm glad you've chosen this story to read!  
Without further delay, please enjoy!

(**Be Warned**: there is a minor torture scene here!)

In Hindsight (I Was Right)

It was an undercover mission, the boss had said. No one was sure how long it would take to infiltrate the underground human trafficking ring, or even the extent of the danger that lay in waiting. Katsuki volunteered. The more dangerous the better.

Should he have?

Probably not.

But when the mission came up, he was pissed off and looking for a fight. That was three months ago.

Now, as he sits chained and bleeding against the cement floor, he feels that _maybe_ he could have handled the situation a little better.

_"You don't get to tell me who I can and can't hang out with, Katsuki. We might be dating, but you're not in control of me." Izuku frowned angrily, arms folded over his chest. Katsuki's murderous gaze landed on the closed door behind him._

_He knew Round Face and Four Eyes were waiting downstairs. But so was that Candy Cane mother fucker who couldn't keep his eyes off what didn't belong to him. Normally, Katsuki would be going with them, just to make sure Todoroki was clear on where he stood, but Katsuki was scheduled for patrol that night, and it irritated him to no end._

_"I'm not fucking saying I do! I just don't want you going it with that asshole when I'm not there to-!" He bit his cheek and Izuku's eyes narrowed._

_"To **what**? "Protect me"? Mark your territory like a dog? In case you haven't noticed, I don't **need **protection, Kacchan! Todoroki is just a friend! And he has been for years!" Izuku shook his head and angrily grabbed his house keys._

_"This has nothing to do with Todoroki, you just don't trust me!" Katsuki stomped down the front hall after him._

_"Fuck you I don't!" Izuku whirled on him, jamming a finger into his chest._

_"That's exactly what this is. You don't trust anyone but yourself, even people who are supposed to be your friends!" Izuku's anger turned to hurt. "Your **partner**."_

_Katsuki glared at the floorboards. Izuku was **wrong**. He trusted him with his life, but like hell if he was going to tell him that. The only one he didn't trust was that Icy Hot bastard because he had seen the way he looks at Deku when he wasn't looking. Izuku shakes his head and moves to the front door._

_"Have a good shift, Kacchan."_

There's noise in the room around him. Voices soft, laughter loud. Katsuki wasn't sure if the wound on the side of his head was still bleeding, but he knew for sure the gunshot wound on his thigh was, as well as the Quirk inflicted gashes along his back.

His job had been to worm his way in with the suspected criminals, get solid evidence, and send up a beacon for the investigation squad nearby. Katsuki hadn't been expecting the second in command to be able to read his mind.

The explosion user had worked his way into the lower ranks and was to be a "handler" for the auction that night. His job was to bring the merchandise to and from the holding area and show them on stage for the crowd to purchase. When he had shown up at the docks, presumably to help transport the "merchandise", the mind reading superior, Atsushi, was giving orders. He took one look at Katsuki and immediately shot the hero in his left thigh.

"Looks like a sewer rat snuck in. You've made it farther than most, Mr. Pro-Hero, Ground Zero." Katsuki ground his teeth and glared up at the man from his kneeling position, wondering where he had slipped up.

"You didn't slip, Ground Zero. You've been an exemplary thug. But, you can't hide what's in your mind from me." The Raven haired man smiled cruelly as he dug his heel into the wound in Katsuki's leg. The Pro-Hero grit his teeth against the noise threatening to break free and grabbed the man's ankle before quickly letting off a string of explosions. Atsushi screamed, and reinforcements came pouring from the open warehouse door.

Katsuki managed to shove Atsushi off and stagger to his feet, but with only one good leg and a bleeding wound, he knew he wouldn't last long against the seven men coming at him.

He returned punches and guarded himself, fired explosion the best he could. Whips like razors lashed across his body, tearing clothes and flesh. Katsuki screamed and fought harder, but a well placed blow to his temple knocked him out.

Before it went dark, Katsuki wondered to himself if the panic sensor he had been wired with was broken now, or if he had managed to trip the sensor.

_Katsuki knew he would have to apologize first. This was his fault, like it usually was, because he didn't know how to shut his mouth, or to at least say the right thing. Izuku and Katsuki fought often, but usually just harmless couple's spats that ended before they really began._

_But every once in a while, Katsuki's attitude rears its head and his temper gets the better of him. He'd like to think he was better about it than he was as a teenager, but nights like this prove him wrong._

_As he exits the elevator on the twelfth floor and starts to the apartment he and Izuku share, Katsuki wonders what he's going to say when Izuku gets home._

_He had sped through his patrol and logged his shift in record time so he could try to be home before Izuku. He was definitely going to need time to get his head on straight before he was able to face him. But, before he rounds the corner to apartment 1215, he hears voices in the hall._

_"-don't have to escort me all the way, you know? I just overdid it a little tonight." Katsuki hears Izuku's sheepish laughter and carefully peers around the corner. The green haired man is leaning beside the door to their apartment, digging around in his pockets, presumably for his house keys. Katsuki can see the flush on his cheeks and rolls his eyes._

_"It's no trouble at all. I'd feel terrible if something happened to you while you were like this." Katsuki's lip curls as he watches Todoroki patiently wait for Izuku to find his house keys, his face expressionless as always. Izuku huffs a laugh as he switches pockets._

_"Really, you and Kacchan both. I can take care of myself. I don't need a babysitter, or a bodyguard or, or-" he cuts himself off, glaring at the floor in front of him. Todoroki takes a step closer and the hair on the back of Katsuki's neck begins to prickle._

_"Nobody thinks you do. But you're very important to everyone, Uraraka and Iida included. We wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you." Izuku smiles warmly and rolls the keys in the palm of his hand._

_"Thank you Todoroki. I never really thought of it that way. I know Kacchan was just trying to look out for me, it just still feels like he thinks of me as beneath him sometimes. Like I need someone to protect me because I can't do it myself." Todoroki is quite for a moment before tilting his head just slightly._

_"Why are you with Katsuki, Midoriya?" Katsuki's eyes widen and he can feel his blood begin to boil. Izuku looks up with a confused frown._

_"I'm not sure what you mean? We're together… because we love each other?" Todoroki hums._

_"Do you really?" Izuku's brows draw further together and Katsuki has to clench his fists and bite his tongue to keep from shouting._

_"I mean, it just seems like you and Bakugou are always having some kind of trouble. He's insensitive, insecure, temperamental, and is always trying to push you around. He's been that way since childhood, hasn't he?" Izuku shook his head._

_"No, Kacchan's changed a lot-"_

_"I'm just saying," Todoroki steps closer, one hand coming up to cup Izuku's cheek, "Maybe there's someone who deserves you more than he does."_

_Izuku is frozen in place, eyes wide and considerably less buzzed than he had been. Todoroki's face is drawing closer and Katsuki is **furious **. He doesn't try to hold back anymore as he rounds the corner with a snarl._

_Katsuki's seeing red, his pulse pounding in his ears drowns out the popping of the explosions he can feel bursting free. Izuku hears the explosions before he sees Katsuki and snaps himself out of it. He shakes out of Todoroki's grasp and shoves the other man roughly to the side and turns to face Katsuki, panic written all over his face._

_"Kacchan, it's not what you think-!"_

_"It's exactly what I fuckin' think. I'm gonna kill him." Katsuki shoves past Izuku's outstretched arms and swings at Todoroki's unmoving form. He manages to catch the dual Quirk user on the jaw, and that only makes Katsuki angrier because he knows the other man could have dodged. He **let**Katsuki hit him. And if that's not enough, the fucker barely staggered from the punch, his monotonous expression shifting into something almost satisfied._

_Katsuki snarls and prepares to strangle the fear of God and Katsuki into Todoroki, but before he can, a familiar pair of arms are wrapping around his waist from behind and holding him steady._

_"Kacchan, don't! Think of your position at work! You can't murder someone and still be a hero! He's not worth it!" Katsuki jerks in Izuku's arms, palms still itching with the need to detonate. Todoroki straightens up and runs a hand through his hair, pushing the loose strands back into place before fixing the duo with an unamused stare._

_"Just like I said, he can't control his temper. I worry for you, Midoriya. How can you be safe when he can't even control himself?" Katsuki snarls and rips himself away from Izuku's hold._

_"Kacchan!" In the span of a second, he has Todoroki pressed against the wall, hands tight around his throat. Todoroki swallows hard, but doesn't make a move. Katsuki breathes heavily, fighting the urge to squeeze. His nostrils are flaring, his palms itch. Katsuki can hear Izuku's rambling behind him, but his attention is focused solely on the mismatched eyes in front of him. He can read the emotion clear from this close._

_Todoroki's eyes, the small uplift to his lips, the relaxed posture; it all says "I won."_

_Katsuki swallows around the curses forming on his tongue and releases Todoroki before slamming an open palms against the wall, inches from his face, and unloading multiple explosions. Todoroki flinches minutely, and Katsuki's nostrils flare as he pushes off the wall and stalks away. He can smell the charred wallpaper and registers the sound of doors opening and closing, voices of a couple concerned residents filling the hall; Izuku's nervous but reassuring voice._

_Katsuki's sure that if the neighbors hadn't come out, Izuku's be chasing him down right now. But, Katsuki's not stupid. He knows loud noises attract attention, especially in a complex that's comprised of nearly ⅔ heroes, sidekicks and other miscellaneous "good guys"._

_The blonde storms his way down the back stairwell, too pissed off to wait on an elevator, and not willing to risk running into people coming up the front stairs. When he reaches the bottom, he realizes it's pouring outside and frowns darkly as he flips the hood of his black sweater up and starts down the darkened streets._

_What kind of cliche bullshit…_

Katsuki comes back to attention as a heavy door if slammed shut. Shit, he must have a concussion; he's losing time. He hates that he's blindfolded and gagged. He's not sure where exactly he is, or how much time has passed. He can't see, and he can't use his Quirk with the bags of water tied around his hands like they are. Katsuki is efficiently nullified, and he's pissed about it.

He hears footsteps at his right and turns his head, though he knows he can't see through the cloth bag covering his face. Rough hands pull the bag off his head, jostling his head and causing the hero to hiss. Katsuki blinks against the sudden dim lighting and squints up at the figure above him.

Atsushi stares down at him and Katsuki immediately averts his eyes. As far as he can tell, the guy can only read his mind if he makes eye contact. Atsushi hums as he circles Katsuki, and the young hero uses this time to look around and hopefully find a means of escape.

The whole area is mostly dark, small overhead lights are sparse in the large, crowded room. There are crates, cages, and miscellaneous items scattered everywhere; some cages covered with tarps and blankets, and others left bare. Katsuki's eyes widen as he realizes what, exactly, is inside the crates. Across the room, he can see inside the bars of a steel cage where a tarp has been pulled back, revealing three trembling children curled in on themselves.

A thump in the crate closest to him, about ten feet to his right, draws his attention, and he can see a shock of red hair through the fist size holes in the side.

These are all _humans_.

A sharp rap of wood against wood draws his attention forward as the words _"Sold to the gentleman in the Butterfly Mask for $7.2 Million!"_ ring out. Belatedly, Katsuki realizes that the darkness in front of him is not a wall or empty space, it's a _curtain_. And these people are being sold _right_ _now_. As the applause begins, a knife is pushed into the right side of his chest and slowly dragged downwards to make a shallow three inch wound.

Caught off guard, Katsuki screams into the cloth shoved into his mouth and jerks away. When the knife is removed, Atsushi kneels down and meets Katsuki's angry glare with a smile.

"Now that I have your attention, let's have a little chat." His eyes flick from the dark violet eyes in front of him to the knife in his hand, blood dripping from the tip. For the first time since he's met him, Katsuki wishes he had taken Kirishima's advice.

_"Bakubro, you know I support you with anything, and really, I don't mind if you crash at my place for a while, but this just seems a little… extreme." Kirishima trails after Katsuki as they exit the elevator on the twelfth floor._

_"I mean, it hasn't even been twenty-four hours and now you're taking on a long-term undercover mission without telling Izuku?"_

_"Who says I'm not telling him?" Katsuki grumbles as he unlocks the apartment. Kirishima scoffs as he closes the door behind himself and kicks his shoes off in the front entry._

_"You called his agency just to make sure he was actually at work before coming home to pack, you used the back door to get into the complex, and now, you're packing a duffel bag so that you can leave quickly, just in case the receptionist tells Izuku you called and asked about him." The noise in the other room stops and Kirishima laughs as he makes his way into the living room. Katsuki is glaring from the bedroom doorway; a half packed duffel bag lies on the bed behind him. Kirishima drops on to the couch with a smile._

_"I've known you since high school, Man. You're angry and hurt, and you're running headlong into a fight. And you're not even planning to leave your boyfriend a note." Kirishima raises one eyebrow as he folds his arms over his chest. Katsuki stomps into the kitchen and scribbles a note on the whiteboard he and Izuku kept pinned to the wall for messages between shifts. Satisfied, he slams the marker back into the holder and stomps back to the bedroom._

_"Happy?" Kirishima squints at the board from his spot on the couch._

_"'On a mission. Don't need food. Buy more Kipi-' Katsuki Bakugou! Did you leave him a message to buy more shower gel?! You're going off on an undercover operation for who knows how long and **that's **what you leave your boyfriend?" Katsuki shrugs as he moves around the living room, grabbing things and shoving them into his second duffel._

_"You wanted a message, there it is." Katsuki lingers at the entrance of the front hall before turning back into the kitchen. He pauses in front of the whiteboard a moment before pulling a red magnet from the line of rainbow colored magnets lining the left side and sticks it in the center, right beside his message. Izuku would know what it meant._

_"Let's go. I've gotta get back to the bureau." Katsuki mumbled as he swept back down the front hall. Kirishima silently followed all the way to the elevator. As they're waiting for it to rise to their floor, Kirishima tries once more._

_"Are you sure you don't want to leave him a message? I mean…" he sighs as they step into the elevator, "this isn't a regular mission. It's an undercover operation, and you're not sure when you'll be back. You can't even tell me where you're going or the purpose of it. What if something-"_

_"It won't." Katsuki cuts him off, eyes focused on the silver doors in front of him._

_"I still need to beat the shit out of that IcyHot mother fucker." Kirishima laughs and smiles at Katsuki's reflection._

_"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. You'll be back in no time."_

Katsuki is panting with his eyes squeezed shut tightly; the gag in his mouth is soaked with spit while what's left of his clothes are soaked with blood. Katsuki's lost too much blood, he can feel it. He can feel the shivers wracking his body, the numbness in his leg and arms. There are cuts all over his chest and arms bleeding sluggishly, and Katsuki feels disgusting.

The audience claps once more and the knife digs into the outside of Katsuki's right thigh. He screams into the soaked rag as the blade drags a jagged line upwards before being removed.

"Katsuki~" a dark voice sings in his right ear, "all you have to do is open your eyes. _Let me in_." Atsushi hisses as he yanks a fistful of bloodied, blonde hair. Katsuki squeezes his eyes tighter. He can't fight from this position, but he'd be damned if he gave away any information.

"All I want to know is who you're working with. You don't have to make this difficult." The knife is just below his collar bone, not pressing in yet.

"Were you a lone wolf? I know you had a tracking device. I destroyed that one myself. Your panicked thoughts told me almost everything I needed to know." The blade is pushed in and being dragged along the edge of his collar bone. Katsuki's chest is heaving with the effort of fighting back his scream. If Atsushi had destroyed the panic sensor, there was a 50/50 chance of back up coming to help. But, if the tracking device was destroyed somewhere else, there would be no easy way to find him.

"You're going to die here, Katsuki. Are there any last words to like to leave for your former friends? An emerald eyed hero, perhaps..?" Katsuki's eyes snapped open and he glared at Atsushi venomously.

"Oh ho, did I strike a nerve? You think I didn't read that earlier? You've got a lot of regrets. Would you like me to deliver your message to him personally?" Katsuki snarls and lunges at the black haired man the best he can. Atsushi laughs and pets Katsuki's matted hair.

"Those are some nasty, nasty words, Katsuki. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Katsuki's nostrils flare and Atsushi smiles.

"So you were alone, then?" Katsuki jerks his head away, but Atsushi quickly forces the red eyes to meet his darkened eyes once more.

"Don't look away from me." He hissed, "You're going to tell me everything you know about the investigation into my business or I will gouge those useless rubies from your head." Atsushi tightens his grip on Katsuki's hair as he brings the tip of the bloody knife up to the hero's cheek bone.

Before anything can happen, a tuxedo clad man with bright blue hair hurries over.

"Atsushi, Sir, reports from the beach." Atsushi frowns and pulls the knife away but doesn't drop eye contact. Katsuki squeezes his eyes shut.

"Reinforcements incoming. At least three boats, ten minutes off the West coast." Atsushi growls and pushes to his feet. The man looks around at the remaining few in cages and sneers.

"Fine. Evacuate the staff and guests, I'll alert Master Diox. You have three minutes, then I'll begin the cover up."

"And the rest of the stock, Sir?"

"Let them burn." Katsuki's eyes flew open as he jerks his head in their direction. The underling nods and hurries back the way he came. Atsushi sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"Being second in command means making hard calls. I didn't want it to end this way, but it looks like your time is up." Atsushi smiles at Katsuki over his shoulder, eyes glinting in the low light.

"You'll burn. You and everyone around you." He laughs as he tucks the knife into a small sheath at his side.

"It's ironic. You usually burn on the inside. Your main weapon is fire and explosions, and you can control them beautifully. But, you're going to be finished off by explosions and fire that you have zero control over." Katsuki glares as the man smirks.

Before Atsushi could get far, an explosion rocked the building. Katsuki could hear screams past the curtain and people running in all directions. Atsushi grabs another underling as he runs past.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Heroes, Sir! They've breached the building!"

"Impossible! The boats were ten minutes out!" Atsushi hisses. The frightened man shakes his head.

"It was a distraction! We're not sure where they got in, but the heroes are now storming the building!" Atsushi releases the man and drags his hands down his face. He whirls around to face Katsuki, his eyes wild with anger.

"_You_." He spits, "This is all your doing. What did you _do?_" Atsushi bends down and grabs a fistful of Katsuki's hair before yanking him up a few inches. Katsuki squeezes his eyes shut as a wave of pain rocks his body and a scream bubbles out. Atsushi shakes him by the hair roughly for a moment before dropping him, breathing heavily now.

"I don't know how you accomplished it, but you've successfully brought down Master Diox's hideaway. And now, you will pay with your life." Atsushi growls as he pulls the knife out of its sheath once more.

Katsuki braces himself for the final blow by gritting his teeth against the soaked fabric. He has so many regrets, but at least he won't regret failing this mission. If help is here, it means he did it. He brought the trading ring down.

There can't be much blood left in him anyways; with all the cuts and gashes along his body, it's a miracle he wasn't dead already. He had long since lost feeling in his arms and hands, his body now constantly shivering from a cold that wasn't really there. His chest heaves as he awaits the finishing mark.

Instead of a knife in his skin, Katsuki heard a familiar shout. His eyes flew open in time to see a shimmering green blur tackle Atsushi to the ground. The force launched them behind the crate nearest to Katsuki as the knife went flying. He can't see them at this angle, but Katsuki knows how it will end. His body sags against the metal beam, relief sapping what little energy he had left in him.

Deku was _here_. He was here, and the mission wasn't compromised, and he… Katsuki was losing consciousness. His head felt light, and the sounds of shouting and fighting sounded far away.

Suddenly, there were gloved hands on his face. Izuku's voice was close.

"Stay with me, Kacchan! Open your eyes!" Katsuki forces his eyes open, against the urge to just let them stay closed. Izuku had yanked the mask off his face and was cataloguing every injury he could see as his fingers fumbled with the knot on the gag.

"_God_, what did they _do_ to you… Kacchan? Stay with me; focus on me. I'm gonna get you out of here." The fabric fell loose and Katsuki dropped his jaw to let the soaked fabric fall onto his chest. Izuku quickly moved behind the other man and hissed at the sight.

Katsuki's hands were still bound tightly and submerged in a bag of water, but the ropes had cut into the skin after fighting against his bonds for hours. The water was tinged pink with blood, and Katsuki's wrists were red and raw. Izuku quickly cut away the ropes and untied the pouches of water. Katsuki groaned as his shoulders were shifted and Izuku hurried to kneel in front of the injured hero and take Katsuki's face in his hands.

"Kacchan? Kacchan I need you to tell me what hurts. Focus on me. Where do you feel the most pain?" Katsuki was beginning to see spots, but he could still clearly see Izuku's concerned face above his.

"Nothing." Katsuki managed. Izuku frowned.

"Now's not the time to act tough, Kacchan-"

"Deku._ Nothing hurts_." Katsuki ground out. His throat felt raw and just talking was taking more energy that he didn't have. Izuku blinked for a moment before it clicked and his eyes widened.

"Shit," he breathed, "Shit, shit… I need to get you help, but I can't move you like this, I'll have to go find someone who can help staunch the blood flow. Then we have to figure out how to get you out safely but-" Izuku was rambling to himself and Katsuki would have laughed if he wasn't literally dying.

Maybe it was the blood loss, or maybe it was the fact that it had been three months since he had last seen Izuku, or maybe it was because this could very well be the last he saw of Izuku, but Katsuki had things to say. He used his abdominal muscles to lean forward and smack their lips together. It wasn't a good kiss by any means; Izuku's lips were bitten nearly bloody from his nervous chewing and Katsuki's lips were dry and slightly chapped. The force knocked their teeth together and Katsuki was about 95% sure he had given Izuku a busted lip, but Katsuki didn't care.

The kiss, if it can be called that, only lasted for a moment before Katsuki's muscles twinged and he dropped back against the beam breathing heavily. Izuku stared down at him with wide eyes.

"Kacchan?" Katsuki met his gaze, trying to ignore the black and white spots fighting for his vision.

"I want you to be happy." He rasped, "No matter what happens." Izuku's face hardens and he holds Katsuki's cheeks more firmly.

"No. You shut up. Shut up _right now_. You don't get to say things like that. You're going to be _fine_. You're going to live, and come home with me, so I can be pissed off at you for running into a life threatening mission, _alone_, without telling me!" Izuku turns his head and shouts out "I NEED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE!" Katsuki lets his eyelids drop. They're just so heavy.

"Left a note…" he mumbled. Izuku swallows around the growing lump in his throat.

"Fuck your note!" He gently pats Katsuki's cheeks, "Katsuki! Stay with me! If you die on me I will never forgive you!" Katsuki manages to pry his eyes open once more. The edges of his vision are going black. He can only see a blurry, green form that he knows should be Izuku.

"You're gonna be fine. We're gonna go home, I'll cook your favorite dinner, and we'll watch the All Might documentary again together. You have to stay with me, Katsuki. Help is coming." Izuku's crying now; he can feel the hot tears streaking his cheeks and dripping from his nose and chin as he leans closer to Katsuki, pushing their foreheads together. He can hear pounding footsteps getting closer, voices shouting above and to him, but he can't- he can't-

"Love you, 'Zuku." Katsuki lets the waves of black take him.

Katsuki's awakening wasn't slow.

He woke with a jerk and the pain of every wound on his body comes rushing at once. He screams, back arching off the white hospital sheets and monitors going haywire. He can't distinguish one voice from another, but there's shouting and loud voices above him. There are hands all over him, holding, pushing, bracing him.

There's a needle in his arm and finally the pain stops. Katsuki's body drops like a puppet whose strings have been cut. He gulps in large breaths of air as the hands cautiously release him. The exhaustion hits, and he's slipping into unconsciousness again. A hand brushes his face, this one familiar, and he turns his head into the contact.

"Kacchan?" A watery voice whispers.

Katsuki lets the darkness take him once more.

When he wakes up again, it's slower this time. He aches terribly, but not unbearably. His head feels foggy and his eyes feel they're stuck shut. He manages to pry them open, but immediately wishes he hadn't when the glow of a bedside lamp hiits his eyes. Katsuki hisses and squeezes his eyes shut again. There's a ruffling sound to his right and Katsuki stiffens.

"Bakugou?" Kirishima's voice is soft, hopeful. Katsuki turns his head, body still heavy, and opens his eyes once more. Kirishima smiles bright and relieved.

"You're awake! Thank goodness. Midoriya's going to be so happy!" Kirishima stood and quickly moved to the door. Katsuki rolled his tongue around his too-dry mouth and stared longingly at the mug of what was surely coffee beside the chair his friend had vacated. Kirishima was back in a flash.

"How are you feeling? Is there anything I can get you?" Katsuki swallowed.

"Water." He rasped. Kirishima nodded and dropped down beside the bed to dig in his duffel bag. The redhead pulled out a blue sports bottle and brought it to Katsuki's lips just as the door opened and a doctor came in.

After chugging a few good swallows, Katsuki answered the basic questions the doctor asked.

Yes, he remembered what happened. Yes, he remembered his name and occupation. Yes, he fucking hurt like hell everywhere.

The doctor presses a button on the machine connected to Katsuki's IV and pain medicine began to drip. He agrees to give Katsuki the full details of his condition in the morning, given that it was nearly 3am and the hero was still in great pain. With a warning to Kirishima that Katsuki would probably pass out again soon, the doctor left.

Katsuki was just settling against the pillows, with the help if Kirishima, when the door opened again.

"Kirishima I just saw a doctor leave, is everything-" Izuku's words die in his throat when he makes eye contact with Katsuki. He dropped his coffee cup in his haste to get to Katsuki's side, but it didn't even effect Izuku.

"Kacchan! Kacchan you're awake!" Katsuki's eyelids feel heavy already; that's some _good_ pain medication.

"Not for long, Nerd." Kirishima pulls the blankets up over Katsuki's chest as Midoriya drops into the chair on Katsuki's left.

"He was in a lot of pain, so they gave him some morphine." Izuku nods in understanding and reaches out to hold Katsuki's hand. The blonde squeezes around the warm hand in his and Izuku looks up to meet Katsuki's eyes.

"I told you so." Katsuki mumbled. Izuku frowns and moves closer.

"Told me what?" Katsuki's eyelids are beginning to droop again.

"Told you that asshole was interested." Izuku simply stares at Katsuki for a moment before he begins to laugh. As he laughs, he can't help but cry as well. There was so much he wanted to say, so many emotions he had left build in the past three months, but at this moment, all he could feel was relief. Kacchan was alive, and still his asshole self.

Izuku wipes at his eyes with one hand, the other refusing to let go of Katsuki's. Katsuki manages a small smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, you did. You were right, Kacchan, and I'm so sorry." Izuku sniffles as he looks to Katsuki, "I should have listened to you." Katsuki closes his eyes with a hum.

"Better remember that." Izuku gives a watery laugh.

"I love you, Kacchan." Katsuki squeezes Izuku's hand tightly, but he's too far gone to voice the words that swirl in his mind.

I love you.

I'm sorry I'm an asshole.

Thank you for saving me.

I love you.

Kirishima huffs a laugh as he passes the box of tissues to Izuku.

"He wakes up after nearly dying and the first thing he says is 'I told you so.' Only Bakugou." Kirishima jokes. Izuku laughs as he blots his eyes.

"True. But, I wouldn't change him." Izuku smiles at Katsuki's sleeping face, "I love him just like this; cockiness and all."

Izuku knew they needed to have a talk when Katsuki woke up again, but for now, he just wanted to bask in the feeling of knowing his partner wasalive and would, eventually, be okay. Just being able to hold his hand was enough for now.

But you better believe that Katsuki was going to get an earful when he was back in good health! Izuku held Katsuki's hand in both of his and sighed.

"If you think bringing down an underground human trafficking ring is going to make up for you running away, you better think again." Izuku mumbled. Kirishima looked up from his cell phone.

"Hm?" Izuku smiled and shook his head.

"Nothing. Just thinking about when Katsuki gets released."


End file.
